deedplatState guides / New York / Onondaga County
Onondaga County property data
Where Onondaga County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Syracuse.
- 35Cities and towns
Where the records are
The county offices an investor deals with in Onondaga County, and what each one puts online.
Deeds and mortgages
Onondaga County Clerk, Mortgages and Deeds. Recorded deeds and mortgages, with records back to 1794, are reached through the Clerk's online document portal, which requires an account login.
Owners and values
Onondaga County Real Property Tax Services (RPTS). Owner, assessment and sales data are free in Image Mate Online and the Beacon property search, and assessment data can be downloaded.
Tax sales
Onondaga County Department of Finance, Real Property Tax Services. The county posts its yearly tax foreclosure auction dates, terms and registration link on the RPTS auction page, and bidding is online only.
Foreclosure sales
Onondaga County Clerk (State Supreme Court records). Mortgage foreclosures are State Supreme Court cases whose filings, including notices of pendency, are kept by the County Clerk; referee sale notices are published in a local newspaper rather than on a county list.
Parcel maps
Onondaga County RPTS Tax Mapping. Tax maps are updated each March; you can look up parcels free in Beacon and the county GIS portal, and buy paper maps from $2 or a full county CD for $350.
How property is sold here
Onondaga County follows New York's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the New York guide for how the state works.
Tax sales
New York counties take title to tax-delinquent property through in rem foreclosure and then sell the property itself, not tax liens. Onondaga County holds one online tax foreclosure auction a year run by Absolute Auction & Realty; the 2026 auction ran October 6 to 8, 2026 with a $100 opening bid and a down payment of at least $10,000 or 20% of the bid. Properties inside the City of Syracuse are handled by the city, not the county auction.
Foreclosure sales
Mortgage foreclosures in Onondaga County are judicial; after a judgment, a court-appointed referee auctions the property at a time and place set in the notice of sale. The notices are published in a local newspaper for several weeks before the sale.
Assessed values
Values are set by each town assessor and the City of Syracuse assessor, not the county, so the date of the last revaluation varies by town.
Transfer tax
New York State transfer tax is $4.00 per $1,000 of the sale price, and Onondaga County and Syracuse add no local transfer tax; the separate 1% mortgage recording tax applies to mortgages.
Land bank
The Greater Syracuse Land Bank buys tax-foreclosed property in Syracuse and Onondaga County and sells it to buyers and investors, and has sold more than 1,500 properties.
Worth knowing
The City of Syracuse collects all county, city and school taxes for city properties itself, so city tax delinquencies are handled by the city and the Land Bank, not the county auction.
Worth knowing
The county has one city (Syracuse), 19 towns and 15 villages, each with its own tax collector and assessor.
Worth knowing
Auction buyers cannot owe delinquent taxes on any property they, their household or their business own.
Every town in Onondaga County
The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.
- Camillus town
- Cicero town
- Clay town
- DeWitt town
- Elbridge town
- Fabius town
- Geddes town
- LaFayette town
- Lysander town
- Manlius town
- Marcellus town
- Onondaga Nation Reservation
- Onondaga town
- Otisco town
- Pompey town
- Salina town
- Skaneateles town
- Spafford town
- Syracuse city
- Tully town
- Van Buren town
Questions
Where are deeds recorded in Onondaga County?
Deeds are recorded by the Onondaga County Clerk at 401 Montgomery St., Room 200, Syracuse. The base fee is $45.50 plus $5.00 a page, and records go back to 1794.
When is the Onondaga County tax sale?
Onondaga County holds one online tax foreclosure auction each year, posted on the RPTS auction page. The 2026 auction ran October 6 to 8, 2026 through Absolute Auction & Realty.
How do I find who owns a property in Onondaga County?
Search the county's free Image Mate Online or Beacon property search by address or tax map number. The deed is at the County Clerk.
Are Onondaga County property records online?
Yes. Assessment data, tax maps and auction lists are free online, and recorded deeds are on the Clerk's document portal with a login.
Sources for this guide
Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.
Every parcel in Onondaga County, on one map
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